The posture is in line with Putin’s statements, but notable to see in a formal document; the potentially dangerous treatment in development by Rosatom scientists uses UV light inside the body as a disinfectant; and more in our weekly news digest.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already pushed Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings to historically low levels, and it may be that the ratings of the Russian leader, his government and his party are not done falling just yet.

Coronavirus and the Kremlin: Will Putin’s Ratings Keep Falling Through Fall?

June 04, 2020

Analysis

New Document Consolidates Russia’s Nuclear Policy in One Place

June 04, 2020

RM Staff Picks

Analysis

The Risks of Autonomous Weapons Systems for Crisis Stability and Conflict Escalation in Future US-Russia Confrontations

Burgess Laird

Autonomous weapons systems could foster crisis instability, conflict escalation in contests between the U.S. and Russia in multiple ways. Policymakers must consider if the putative advantages of such systems are worth the potential risks they may rai...

Stent and Hill on COVID-19 Challenging Putin’s Grip on Power

Russia and Collective Security: Why CSTO Is No Match for Warsaw Pact

Dmitry Gorenburg

The CSTO is too organizationally weak and insufficiently integrated to serve as a capability multiplier for its members, and the weakness of other member states' military forces make them of limited value to Russia as military allies.

Many Russians Expect to Lose Jobs, Take Pay Cuts in Wake of Pandemic

Thomas Schaffner

An April Levada Center poll shows that almost half of Russians expect layoffs within their household in the coming months and almost a third have already had someone in their household recently lose a job.

Is Ukraine a Hub for International White Supremacist Fighters?

Kto-Kogo: Putin vs. COVID-19

Thomas Graham

Some believe the pandemic and the oil price collapse will erode the Russian president's power or end his presidency. But with the skill he has shown, and the luck that has favored him for 20 years, he could emerge from this crisis even stronger.